Kiss, Kiss, Fall In Love
by jinata-hanakari
Summary: Machiko, Hikaru and Kaoru's twin sister who was adopted when they were young, is returning to the Hitachiin mansion, but when she begins attending Ouran Academy, will Hikaru's world crumble after all he'd done to achieve a bit of normalcy? While Kaoru can relate, his little crush is getting out of hand, so he can't dwell on that problem for long. [Hikaru, Kaoru, Haruhi & Machiko]
1. Chapter 1

I would have lied and said that the news made me happy, but it would still be an untruth. I could fake a smirk or laugh with ease, and I could spew bullshit like a pro. That still didn't make the truth any less evident to me.

My brother, Kaoru, and I have a secret. Her name is Machiko Hitachiin. And she's back.

Kaoru and I hadn't been lying directly by saying that we were twins, we were, in fact, identical and born on the same day of the same mother. We weren't directly lying by saying that we had only trusted one another growing up, it was the truth, that wasn't a lie at all. But we weren't just twins, we were two of three.  
When the three of us had been a little more than a year old, Machiko had been sent away by our father. Before we were three, he'd died on the anniversary of our mother's own death date.  
It was just the two of us and my grandmother left in the Hitachiin mansion after that.  
As upsetting as it was to admit, I hadn't missed having him around. Kaoru and I, though reluctant to come to terms with the thought, had missed our decieving nanny more than our own dad.  
Anyway, since we hadn't known Machiko very long, we'd forgotten what she'd looked like. We didn't dwell on memories including her, and we never breathed a word of her to anyone, especially the guys and Haruhi.  
It was easy keeping her a secret, since she was a pretty big mystery to us as well, but our gran had been able to track her down fiftteen years later, and here we were.  
Machiko Hitachiin, my sister, had been living only roughly 200 miles away, in Takahawa, going to a public school and living with a middle-class family. That was all Kaoru and I had been told, other than she was coming back to Bunkyō to live with us.  
Why? I didn't know. Why would she trade her seemingly normal life to pursue a family she couldn't remember? Beat me, but I was anxious. I was so used to being alone with Kaoru, and even just hanging around school with Haruhi, Tamaki, Kyouya, Honey and Mori. Sometimes that creepy guy Nekozawa would drop by.  
Everything had been normal lately, totally under control. Everyone faught over Haruhi, as per usual, but we all knew who was winning in the end. We continued our acts in the club. But... how could we keep Machiko a secret if she went to our school? She wouldn't keep it a secret, would she?  
I didn't want to share my brother, and I didn't want to share my friends. Who was she to just appear out of nowhere and ruin everything?

"Hey, Hikaru?"  
I turned lazily onto my side to face my twin, our amber eyes meeting, and I raised an eyebrow questioningly.  
"What do you think she's like?  
Machiko, I mean," Kaoru asked, imitating my position.

"Not sure," I murmured in reply, shutting my eyes. "I can't even picture her. She's like Haruhi, poor, y'know? But... If she's our twin sister, she has to look like us. As a girl. But I still can't even begin to picture-"  
I opened one of my eyes as a soft breath on my face silenced me.

"It'll be okay, Hikaru," Kaoru whispered, his voice a breeze against my lips.  
I calmed down a bit as my twin's hands caressed either of my cheeks with a feather light touch.  
"I promise."

"Why make a promise you can't keep?" I sighed, rolling onto my back, and I draped an arm over my eyes and thought about how each of my carefully structured friendships would disintegrate after Machiko arrived.

"I can keep it. Stop thinking so negatively, Hikaru, it isn't going to get you anywhere. Remember what happened with Haruhi?"  
I started when I felt the mattress shift, and tensed as Kaoru straddled my waist.

"That was all your doing," I snapped, opening my eyes to glare at him. "I never agreed to go on that date with Haruhi, you set me up." I wriggled my hips to buck Kaoru off, but it was no use. "Now get off me. No wonder everyone thinks we're into each other; you're always hanging off me and acting all sexual, even when we're alone."

My twin's eyes widened, then he looked away guiltily and nodded.  
"Sorry. You just look so upset," he said quietly as he retreated to his own side of the bed.  
"I don't like seeing you like that."

We didn't speak for awhile, and I sighed.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"It's fine," Kaoru replied, putting up a guarded smile. "I'm your brother, right? I can't stay mad at you. Just ease up a little, okay? For me? Machiko can't be that bad."

"Right," I whispered as Kaoru pulled the blanket over us.

"First day of junior year tomorrow," Kaoru muttered.  
I hummed in response, dreading having to go to school again, but also excited to see my friends.  
"I can't believe everyone else besides Haruhi and us two are going to be graduating this year," Kaoru continued, and I sighed. I'd almost forgotten.

"What'll we do?" I mumbled.

"Grab some more recruits, obviously. Even if we'll run the club senior year, just the three of us, it'll be like carrying on a legacy. Then it'll keep going. Won't that be great?"  
I didn't reply, just screwed my eyes shut tightly.  
"Goodnight, Hikaru."

"Yeah."

My mind buzzed as the light from the window faded, as Kaoru started snoring softly, and as my eyes grew heavy.  
Who was Machiko?  
What would happen when everyone graduated and left us alone?

I fell asleep at some point from exhaustion.


	2. Chapter 2

I stood under the shower's spray, my hands limp at my sides, trying to force my unease away. It wasn't like Machiko could be as terrible as in my dreams, or rather, nightmares.  
I was a worrier, granted I rarely had anything logical to worry about. I seldom shared my true feelings, but came out callous and cruel when it became too much emotion to handle. I worried about my friends, my image, work, even silly things like remembering to brush my teeth.  
Now my mind was in a frenzy, doubts making themselves present.

"Stop," I groaned, resting my aching forehead against the tile wall of the shower room.  
I tangled my fingers in my hair and tugged at it, hoping that a different physical pain would stop the mental breakdown.

"Hikaru...?" Came a familiar voice, and it took all my strength to lift my hands to push myself from the wall.

"I'm fine," I said quickly, praying to avoid an inevitable conversation.  
Kaoru was my twin, after all. Not only physically, but mentally, he and I were almost identical. He could almost read my mind at times.

"No, you're not," Kaoru sighed, and wet footsteps echoed over to me.  
I flinched away from Kaoru's hand on my back, instead turning to prove I was okay. My mouth shut when I caught my brother's eyes.  
They were shining, and his cheeks were supporting a faint pink blush.  
"You don't trust me enough to tell me what's wrong?" he asked, but it sounded more like a question than anything.  
His bottom lip began to tremble.

"N-no, Kaoru, it's nothing like that. Don't cry, okay? I trust you, I just don't want to worry you on our first day of school, alright? I'll be fine," I rushed out.

A tear slipped down his cheek and he roughly wiped it away.  
He laughed and shook his head.  
"Sorry, I'm getting to be so emotional, huh? Maybe I'll go back to my old self soon," he admitted, looking away from me.

I smiled and gave him a playful punch on his shoulder.  
"You'll be fine, kid."

Kaoru scoffed and put his hands on his hips.  
"You're only a few minutes older than me, jerk."

I hummed and shut my faucet off before grabbing my towel and leaving the shower room.

Kaoru had been acting strangely for the last few days, but I hadn't thought about it too much. He seemed a little more fragile. I'd have to ask him about it at some point, because he's always so caring when it came to me. The least I could do was return the favour.

I tied the towel around my waist and ignored the beads of water still dripping from my skin onto the floor as I walked down the hall, descended the staircase, and ended up in the kitchen on a hunt for orange juice.  
Sweets on two plates were on the table, presumably left by the maid, and I grabbed the plate with a plain cake on it. I knew how much Kaoru disliked my favourite foods, so he'd probably be more satisfied if I took the one I liked best.

I grabbed the bottle of orange juice from the fridge and set my things on the table, pulling out my phone.  
I fiddled around with it for a few minutes before deciding to eat before Kaoru. He was taking too long.

As I took a bite, the buzzer for the front gate rang. I sighed and stood up, uncapping the juice and taking a swig as I walked sluggishly to the intercom.

"Gram, did you forget the password again?" I asked, pressing the talk button.  
There was nothing but static in reply, and I sighed, unlocking the gate.  
"Gate is unlocked. What'd you forget?"

I padded over to the front door, and I heard Kaoru shout, "Where's the orange juice?"

"I have it," I hollered in reply, starting on the dozen latches and locks on the door.  
"Hold on, gran."

"Did you drink out of the bottle again?" Kaoru groaned, and I felt a wet hand smack my back.

I unlocked the door successfully, ignoring Kaoru's insults, and pulled open the door.  
"What'd you forg-"

"O-oh, my god... Um, I'm sorry, I-" she stuttered, covering her face with her hands and stumbling back a step.  
I dropped the orange juice and my jaw, and Kaoru caught the juice thankfully.  
"Um, I didn't know how to use the talk thingy, so I didn't say anything when you thought I was grandmother..."

"Machiko?" Kaoru exclaimed, forcing me to snap out of my confusion.

"Yeah," the girl said, offering a sheepish smile that peeked out from under her hands. "I'm so sorry..."

"It's fine," Kaoru piped up from behind me, then I heard receding footsteps. I looked over my shoulder to see my twin brother nursing the bottle of orange juice and sulking back at the table.

"Uh, do you have a bag?" I asked Machiko timidly, turning back to the short girl.

"Yeah, it's behind me," she murmured. Her voice was high and light, like a vocalist.

"I've got it," I stated, reaching around her small body to get the medium sized suitcase. I lifted it with ease and turned from the door.  
"You can come in, y'know."

"Oh, right," Machiko cried, holding one arm in front of herself so she wouldn't walk into anything.  
I watched with mild amusement as she groped for the door, managed to close it, then stood there awkwardly.  
"Um, Hikaru-kun?"

My smile slipped and I cleared my throat.  
"How did you know I was Hikaru?" I asked after a moment.

"You, uh... I don't know," Machiko replied softly. "I just knew."

"Huh," I muttered. "Well, you're my sister. I'm not entirely naked. You don't have to cover your eyes, just be expecting this every morning. Follow me."  
I glanced at Kaoru and scowled at the empty bottle of juice in his hand.  
Why was he so crabby? And why was he acting so cold to me, and ignoring Machiko altogether?  
I sighed and shook the thoughts away, taking the reigns on the situation even though I was nervous as hell.

Machiko was definitely our third part. Her hair was a little bit lighter and definitely longer, she had glasses slipping down the bridge of her nose, and she was a girl, obviously. But I could tell. Especially because she seemed to fit right in with us from the moment she spoke, even if she wasn't quite as cocky as us guys.

I didn't dwell on her appearance long, mostly because the rest of her was perfect in every way. Though she did remind me of Haruhi in a few ways personality-wise, like how she dressed and reacted to our house, Machiko just had a different air to her. It was pleasant.

I glanced over my shoulder, making sure Machiko could keep up. I took the stairs two at a time because I was used to them.  
Her cheeks were rosy and she was panting quietly, but she had a smile on her face as she looked at the pictures lining our walls and the antique furniture on every landing.  
I watched her for a second until she caught up, and she noticed me unmoving.

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow defiantly, but the way her lips quirked I could tell she wasn't too seriously skeptical.

I chuckled and shook my head, grabbing the tie of my towel to pull it further up my hips.  
"Nothing. Try to keep up."

I winded up a few flights of steps, and just as the staircase started to spiral toward the top floors, I turned to the left toward the room I shared with Kaoru.  
Machiko's nursery had been painted over with plain white, and the cradle had been replaced with a king sized bed, much like my shared one with Kaoru.  
I pushed the door open and set her suitcase on the victorian trunk at the end of the bed.

I turned around, but Machiko wasn't behind me. She must have fallen behind.

I sighed and scratched the back of my neck as I neared the door to go find my sister.  
It was weird how I wasn't nervous at all anymore. It felt like she'd been living with me all along. We got along alright so far.

"Hikaru-kun- ouch!"

"Are you alright?" I asked quickly, keeping Machiko standing by holding her shoulders. She leaned against my chest and her grip on either of my arms was a little too tight for my liking, but at least she hadn't fallen.

"Y-yeah, sorry, I didn't see where you went and when I came in here you were in the doorway and I didn't mean to run into-"

"Do you always do that?" I asked, cutting Machiko off. She choked back her words and blushed, glancing away from me.

"Do what?" she blurted.

"Ramble when you're apologising," I elaborated, quirking an eyebrow.

"I do not," she retorted, her cheeks flaring red as she pushed herself away from me. "You've only known me for a few minutes! And, well... I'm kind of nervous."

"Nervous?" I repeated.

Machiko blinked, then brushed past me to unzip her bag.  
"Yeah, well, I'm starting a new school and moving in with strangers," she replied softly as she pulled clothes out of the suitcase and started stacking them into piles.  
"Not that you don't seem like nice boys, but it's a little overwhelming. I guess that's my own fault for leaving home, though."  
She opened the trunk and set her clothes in, then a blanket and a pillow on top of them.

"That's all you've got?" I asked, gesturing to her clothes.

She shook her head and smiled.  
"I'll put my uniform on. What time are we leaving?"

"Fifteen minutes," I replied, stretching my arms out.

"Okay, now leave."

I bowed mockingly and walked out of the room, shutting Machiko's door behind me.  
Kaoru stood across the hall, leaning on the railing. The light filtering through the window behind him made him seem almost angelic, and I stood there studying him for a little while. He hadn't seemed to notice me.

"You gonna watch me all day?" Kaoru snarled, his eyes flickering up to meet mine. They were filled with something I couldn't decipher, and his top lip was curled up warningly.

"N- what?" I snapped back, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Nothing," he murmured, shrugging nonchalantly. "How is she?"

"She's fine," I replied, crossing my arms.

"Not what I meant," Kaoru sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Put some clothes on. We'll be late if you don't hurry."

I nodded and ignored his strange look and tone, turning away to go into our room. I shut the door behind me and undid my towel, then grabbed my outfit from the bed as it fell to the floor.  
I stretched my arms out and sighed, a little overwhelmed, and put my clothes on. When I finished, I left the room.  
Kaoru had since been replaced by Machiko, who stood with her back to me. She looked like a real angel, just like Kaoru had, but much more exotic. Her short hair was wild and her uniform was a little small, hugging her body tightly.

"You gonna watch me all day?" played in my head, but when Machiko turned around she blushed and her eyes widened.

"Um, Hikaru, I didn't see you there," she chuckled, scratching the back of her head nervously.

I strode over to her, putting on a gentle smile.  
"You look cute in your uniform," I said, tilting my head to the side. "Though it's a bit snug looking."

Machiko smiled and turned positively red, her eyes traveling to her shoes.  
"Thank you," she mused, looking up at me cutely.  
After that, she walked past me and hopped down the stairs two at a time.

I grinned and followed after her, then caught up so we could walk side by side, but when she saw me she started running down the stairs. I followed, but somehow she was faster, and we raced our way to the bottom of the steps.

I panted and bent over, resting my hands on my knees. I glanced at Machiko and she was in a similar position. Our gazes locked and we started laughing simultaneously.

"You two done?" Kaoru asked, sounding bored. I hadn't seen him there at first.  
I straightened up and glanced at him.  
He didn't give us time to answer, he just turned away and walked out the door with his book bag hauled over his slumped shoulders.

"What's with him?" Machiko asked, her eyes glued to the limo in the driveway. "And are we taking a limousine to school?"

I didn't answer, Kaoru's sour mood affecting me already.  
"I need to talk to him," I murmured to myself.  
I shook off my worry and put on a smile.  
"Yeah," I turned to Machiko. "Our gran bought us cars last year, but we get our licenses this year. Plus we're spoiled."

She scrunched her nose up in a cute way and my smile became genuine.  
"It's going to take me awhile to get used to all this," she sighed.

"You'll adapt quickly," I promised, picking up my bag from the table near the door.

My sister and I walked to the car and got in. I sat next to Kaoru, figuring that his less than normal mood would upset Machiko. It sure was upsetting me.

None of us spoke for awhile. It was a little unsettling because usually Kaoru was talkative, but I tried to ignore it to the best of my ability.

"Kaoru, is something wrong?" Machiko asked, breaking the silence.  
Kaoru didn't even reply, much less look up. He rather stared out the window uninterestedly, grunting in a type of response.  
"Is it something I did?"

"I'm sure he's just tired," I commented, and that seemed to satisfy my sister.  
But I wasn't so sure. Just awhile earlier Kaoru had been assuring me that Machiko would be nice, and she was, but now he was acting distant and it scared me a little. I wondered what had caused his sudden mood dip.  
My earlier worries started to come back and I tensed up.  
What would we do about Machiko? We couldn't possibly tell anyone about how she was our sister, especially not anyone of my small group of friends.  
Would people infer the correlation in our appearance and ask questions or assume things?  
Surely we'd have to teach her the ropes, so she'd have to follow us around and we'd have to talk to her...

A familiar hand curled around mine and I looked at Kaoru. He was still glaring at the window, but he pulled my hand into his lap and ran his fingers soothingly over the back of it.

We were twins. Of course he knew I was nervous again. He knew me better than I knew myself.  
Why couldn't I simply ask him what was wrong, when he could get over his agitation to cheer me up a bit?

"Listen, Machiko," Kaoru sighed, his head lolling to the side so he could look at her properly.  
She glanced at him nervously out of the corner of her eye. She looked hopeful, like she wanted him to like her and stop acting like an asshole, but he just seemed bored and agitated.  
"You can't talk to us at school. Don't sit near us and definitely don't follow us afterward. I talked to Grandmother and your limo is set to come at the end of the day."

My eyes shot to Kaoru's in confusion.  
I hadn't known this plan, and he hadn't informed me about any of it. It seemed a little harsh to leave Machiko defenseless in an unfamiliar school, but I guess that had been what I'd initially wanted her to do.

"Don't you think she could talk to us at least a little bit?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Absolutely not," Kaoru muttered, his gaze flipping to mine. I couldn't tell what emotion was spiraling in his irises but I could feel the tension in him.  
"People will see the resemblance. That's why it's safer to ignore her completely."

"Why don't you want anyone to know I'm your sister?" Machiko piped in, her voice wavering a bit.

"It's not that," I said quickly, pulling my hand out of Kaoru's lap to grab hers. "It's just that... our friends might be a little angry because we never told them we had a sister. We didn't need to because we didn't think we'd see you again."

Machiko nodded in understanding, but she didn't look at me.  
I let go of her arm and stared at my lap, afraid that I'd already messed everything up.

"I understand," she murmured after a minute. "But I'm gonna get so lost..."

"Luckily you're in all of our classes," I said with a smile. "You can follow us, but be discreet."

"O-okay," Machiko said with a renewed happiness evident on her features.

Kaoru looked even more irritated than before when I looked at him again.  
This time I grabbed his hand. Even when he tried to pull it away, I held tightly until he gave up, then I pressed his palm against my cheek.  
My eyes shifted so I could see him and he was staring at his shoes, his hair falling in his face.

I wish I could cheer him up like he does for me.

When the car stopped, I moved to get out behind Machiko, but Kaoru grabbed my arm and roughly pulled me back next to him. I started, but his look silenced me. Once the door was shut again, Kaoru sighed, but he didn't let go of my arm.

"It would look suspicious if you got out of a car with her."

I blushed a little and hung my head, chiding myself for not taking that into consideration. I was too caught up in enjoying my sister's company.  
"Yeah, you're right," I mumbled apologetically.

•••

The day had gone fine. I'd been staring a little too long at Machiko quite a few times, but that didn't count as suspicious. I mean, she was a new student after all.  
Kaoru had gone back to being agitated and uninterested with everything after we'd gotten to class. It was unnerving. Even Haruhi noticed, but I couldn't tell her what was wrong with him.

At the end of the day, Haruhi walked with me to the music room. We talked about what Tamaki and Kyoya could have possibly conjured up for the theme of today's meeting. Kaoru was lagging behind, staring at the floor, or rather glaring.  
I could tell Haruhi was itching to ask about him, but I didn't have any answers, plus if he heard he would make excuses.

My mind kept drifting to Machiko. I wanted to know if she found the limo, how she thought school was, if she'd made any friends... Mostly, I kept visualising her smiling at me.

I shook my head to force the thoughts away and realised we were in the music room.

"Your costumes are in the back," Renge announced, and I had to look up to see her standing on a huge ladder, hanging up red, black and white roses alike.  
"It's a formal day! Suits and roses and dancing and..." Renge sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. "It'll just be great. Tamaki even said he'd-"

"I'm not playing the piano," Tamaki snapped, appearing from behind a black curtain that was hiding the entrance to our makeshift dressing rooms.  
His tie was red to clash with his white suit that fit him perfectly, his hair tousled perfectly as per usual.

I laughed and continued to the dressing rooms with Kaoru and Haruhi. Kaoru and I shared a dressing room, so Haruhi and I parted ways before my brother and I stepped into our own room. I shut the curtain and glanced at the matching black tuxedos in the corner, white ties on each.

Kaoru hadn't uttered a word since we'd been in the car which was unnerving to say the least. He was usually the more talkative one, plus he seemed so upset.

"Kaoru, what's wrong?" I asked, unbuttoning my shirt.

He flinched at my voice and glanced at me quickly before looking away.  
"Nothing," he said quickly.

"Don't lie to me," I sighed, throwing my shirt over my shoulders.  
I unbuttoned my pants and Kaoru turned to me, then, and advanced on me. It was so quick I didn't notice until I'd fallen, and Kaoru's hands were pinning my arms above my head.

I blanched at the unexpectedness of it all and tried to get up and laugh it off, but Kaoru didn't move, so my mouth remained shut.  
His big olive eyes searched my matching pair, his cheeks doing the opposite of mine and turning bright red.  
Confusion embraced me and as Kaoru's face got closer, my heartbeat picked up the pace. When he was just centimeters away, he paused.

"I'm fine," he whispered, his breath hitting my lips.

By then, his face was beet red. He jumped up, released me, and grabbed his costume before dashing out of our changing room.  
I stared at the curtain from the floor, my arms still above my head, my eyebrow raised.

I had to figure out what was wrong with Kaoru, but just then I had to get dressed and act like nothing was wrong until I could talk to my twin alone again.


	3. Chapter 3

"You should really learn to tie your tie," Haruhi sighed as I approached her. "But I guess I should be used to you rich kids having people do that for you by now."

I grimaced and began tying it myself.  
"That's not what I was going to talk to you about," I replied, shoving my hands into my pockets.  
Haruhi raised an eyebrow and I came to a stop in front of her.  
"I'm just a little worried about Kaoru, is all. And I was wondering if you could talk to him for me."

"I'll... think about it," she muttered. "But aren't you two super close? What's so wrong that I'd have to talk to him and you can't?"

I shrugged, unsure of how to go about answering the question.  
Kaoru was talking to Renge back by the bottom of the ladder, his fake smile in place just like the one I normally wore. Now I wasn't hiding. I was confused, concerned and anxious, and I was sure it was clearly written across my face.  
My brother glanced at me and quickly looked away, his smile slipping a bit.

The door to the music room suddenly opened and everyone turned to it, since we didn't open the club doors for another fifteen minutes.  
I paled at the figure in the doorway, my heart stuttering, and when I looked to Kaoru again, his fingers were twitching and his jaw was clenched.

"Hey, you- wait, are you the new girl?" Haruhi asked, her eyebrows furrowing as she started toward Machiko.

_Go away, go away, go away. Didn't we tell you to stay away from us at school?!_

"O-oh, yeah, I am," Machiko said nervously, keeping her eyes away from us even though I was sure she'd seen Kaoru and I.

"Are you here for the club? Because we don't open yet..."

_Say no... Say no..._

"Y-yeah, actually, I am. I heard about it from a friend, and uh, I wanted to check it out. I'm just going to leave..." She said, nervousness leaking from her voice, and she turned abruptly to leave.

"Hey, wait," Tamaki shouted, running out from the dressing rooms. "Did I just hear you turn away a beautiful princess?"  
He stopped in his tracks when he saw my sister, and he flattened his outfit and smiled.  
"Please, stay. Who would you like to meet with?"

Machiko froze, her body going rigid.  
"Pardon?" she squeaked.

"We're a host club, after all," Tamaki mused, crossing his arms.

Machiko turned to face him, her eyes widening.  
"H-host club," she mouthed, then said out loud, "U-um..." her eyes flickered to Kaoru and I and she paled. "I'd like to meet all of you."

My jaw threatened to drop, but I managed to keep my mouth shut as Haruhi laughed.

"Alright, then. It's settled," Haruhi said, tilting her head to the side. "You can talk to us all for a bit until the club officially opens for today."

Kaoru and I met gazes and exchanged a concerned glance.

"That sounds fun," Renge hollered, running over to Machiko to sling an arm around her shoulders. "They're all nice guys, maybe you'll find your type."

"T-type?" Machiko repeated, her eyes nearly crossing. Her face went red and Honey laughed.

We all sat down at one of the tables, Machiko between Haruhi and Renge, us across from the three.

"What's your name, princess?" Tamaki asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Machiko," my sister mumbled, looking down and away from everyone. "Machiko Kurukawa... Nice to meet you all."

"I'm Haruhi, you're in my class," Haruhi said, giving her one of those cute smiles only she could manage.

"I'm Tamaki, it's a pleasure to meet you," Tamaki announced. "Year three."

"I'm Mitsukuni, but you can call me Honey," Honey piped up before shoving cake into his mouth. "This is Mori," he continued with his mouth full, pointing to Takashi. Mori nodded and Machiko smiled, her hair still obscuring her face.

"We don't attend Ouran Academy, but we were students here last year." Mori added.

"I'm Kyoya," Kyoya said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose to try to look sophisticated. "I'm a year three."

"I'm Renge. We're gonna be good friends. I'm transferring to your class as of today, because you have all the cool people," Renge said with a smile. "You're really pretty!"

"Y-you think so?" Machiko asked, finally lifting her eyes to look at Renge who smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

"Your glasses are so cute," Renge continued, grabbing Machiko's hand and clinging onto it excitedly.

"I agree," Haruhi interjected.

Machiko blushed and looked down again.

"I'm Kaoru, I'm in your class," my twin spoke up, his tone full of fake cheer.

"I'm Hikaru, Kaoru's twin. Nice to meet you," I added. "Your hair is cute."

Machiko looked up at me and smiled widely.  
"Thanks."  
Her eyes widened and she looked away again.

"So, Machiko, what's your type?" Renge asked, resting her chin on her palms.

Machiko sat up straight and lifted her head a little, not looking anyone in the eye, but not looking at her lap nonetheless.  
"I don't have one," Machiko murmured, turning to Renge. "I've never dated a guy before."

"_What_?" she shouted, taking my sister by surprise as she grabbed her shoulders. "You've never dated anyone before?"

"I never said that," Machiko said, pressing her lips together. "There have been three... And they weren't guys."

I felt my eye twitch at the revelation.

"You like _girls_?" Tamaki yelled, and Machiko jumped.

"I didn't say that, either," Machiko huffed, crossing her arms. Her pale lips formed a pout. "Will you please stop making stupid accusations?"

Tamaki's mouth gaped open and I suppressed a chuckle.

"So you don't have a type, you like who you like," Haruhi guessed.

Machiko laughed and scratched her neck nervously.  
"I wouldn't say that."

"This is a problem. We have to find your type," Renge declared. "Fifteen minutes with each of the host club members. Whoever you like the most wins, 'kay? We'll start with Tamaki in five minutes when we're open."

"Oh, okay," Machiko mumbled, hiding her face behind her hair.

"Can I talk to her?" I asked, standing up. Everyone's eyes shifted to me and I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Oh, interested already, Hikaru-kun?" Renge asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

I blushed and shook my head, quickly dismissing the idea.  
"I-I just wanted to know more about her since she's in my classes..." I lied through my teeth. I looked to Kaoru for support, but he was glaring at the table.

_Why does he do that?_

Machiko and I walked over near the door and I wanted to shake her to knock some sense into her.  
"Why are you here," I whispered, grabbing one of her wrists.

"I got lost," she muttered, smiling sheepishly. "I can leave now if you want..."

"No, you can't. Renge already made a plan and she won't repent until you go through with it."  
I sighed and ran my other hand through my hair.  
"Just don't come back here, alright?"

Machiko nodded and I released her arm. I began walking back over to where Tamaki was sulking, probably because of Haruhi, but stopped when I heard a faint giggle. It got a little louder, then I turned because my sister was laughing loudly with her hands covering her face.

"Wh-what?" I asked, glaring at her.

"Your tie, Hikaru," she choked, meeting my eyes with her own shining amber ones. "Come here."

When I didn't move, Machiko rolled her eyes and strode over, then undid my tie before tying it properly.  
I averted my eyes when she was finished and crossed my arms.

"Thank you," I muttered ruefully, irritated that I couldn't even tie my tie correctly.

"Stop pouting," Machiko giggled, poking my arm. "Your friends seem nice, and I don't think they suspect anything."

"Uh-huh," I replied, but I unintentionally glanced at Haruhi, who happened to have her eyes on Machiko even though Kaoru was animatedly telling her some undoubtedly interesting story.

Haruhi was the only one that I believed would know instantly, that is, besides Kyoya, who seemingly knew everything.  
Her eyes flickered to mine and I pressed my lips into a line, ignoring whatever Machiko was saying.

"Alright, guys. Doors are open," Renge called.

_This is going to be a long day._


End file.
